China Recruits UK Service People.

China is a power both economically and militarily. It is the United State's biggest rival in the 21st Century. Russia is a rival but not on the scale of China. China has a formidable military and is certainly a regional power. It harbours global ambitions to be a power on the scale of the United States.

China has molded a Western form of capitalism to ensure the success of its people. However, the Communist party remains very much in charge.

President Xi has been acclaimed President by the Great Hall of The People once again. This Great Hall is no bastion of democracy and is simply a place to rubber-stamp Communist policy. President Xi is the most powerful man in China. Not since Mao has anyone wielded power like President Xi does now.

China is keeping an eye on Russia's disaster in Ukraine. Russia has been bested on the battlefield by brave Ukrainian forces using ultra-tech Western weaponry.

Russia has paid a price in men and equipment and now all it has left is lobbing missiles and drones into Ukrainian civilian areas. For example, targeting civilian infrastructure like power supply to make life uncomfortable.

Putin knows he has no chance of winning but he cannot just pull out. He staked his reputation on victory and that of the Russian armed forces. As the US took Baghdad so Mr. Putin thought he could take Kyiv. However, thanks to Ukrainian resistance and Western-supplied weapons Russia's war machine has stalled. Russia has carved out enclaves for itself in eastern Ukraine. These areas are now part of Russia though of course most of the world does not recognise this. However, Ukrainian forces have taken back some of this territory.

Putin often reminds the world that Russia is still a nuclear power. Mr. Putin has threatened to unleash these weapons on Ukraine or the West. As the war turns against the Russian President would he really unleash these toxic weapons?

Many paint Putin as ill or a madman or both. Perhaps both these musings are true but make no mistake Putin is very intelligent and unpredictable.

The Chinese have been watching their close friend Russia in Ukraine. Supplying Russia with weapons no doubt just as Iran has. China is making notes as Russia comes unstuck against the brave resistance of the Ukrainian people. Plus the devastating effect of superior and more technologically advanced Western weapon systems.

China lays claim to Taiwan an island off its coast. It regards the island as a runaway province and has stated its wish to reunite Taiwan with mainland China. China is prepared to do this peacefully or through military means. China may be formidable militarily but it lags behind (as Russia does) in technology. Countries like Japan, for example, have powerful militaries certainly. However, much of it is Western supplied and China does not appear to want to directly risk its forces.

China will play the long game, they are an ancient civilization and their way is not the Western way. It is based on observation and patience and that is very deadly for a potential enemy. China will not do anything rash until it has significantly closed the gap militarily speaking. Only when Chinese military hardware is of good quality and technically proficient will it risk conflict with the West.

Certainly, when US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan China made its displeasure all too real. China deployed its military in a show of strength. This lasted for a number of days demonstrating China could choke Taiwan if it so desired. It knew that the Biden administration wouldn't take any direct action. Not unless the Chinese took some kind of military action against Taiwan. So it seems the Chinese gamble paid off. The Chinese have the measure of the Biden administration or do they?

China has acquired blueprints of Western weapons. Essentially building their own versions of what the US has. Stealing the tech and understanding how it works. No doubt, all countries do this to their rivals, not just China and the Americans.

It has emerged that the Chinese are paying ex-RAF operatives to train their personnel. The F-35 warplane is a headache for the Chinese and nothing they have can quite match it. That's not to say the Chinese will not develop such a warplane but for now, they working out how to combat it. Combatting it not just in plane-to-plane encounters but its enhancements. Like stealth and durability in fact the whole facet of the F-35 airframe.

Since the end of the lockdown, many ex-RAF staff is indeed in China training Chinese pilots. The Chinese are offering ex-British service personnel and no doubt others huge salaries.

Are the British and other Western operatives training the Chinese traitors? Yes, seeing as China is a potential enemy nation of the West. On the other hand, there has always been a 'guns for hire' mentality in ex-military people.